ALERT!  Menu Pet Food is recalling certain lots of wet food sold under 46 different brands of dog and cat food after discovering a poisonous substance in the food. For more information and to see what brands are affected go to this link:  <Read More>


Q. What are the best methods for housebreaking a puppy?
 

A. If your dog is going to live inside the home, and in America over 90% of our pets do, you are going to have to go through the housebreaking process unless you have grossly different hygienic standards than most. It is not hard, it need not be messy, and it need not be a struggle. It does not have to take a long time. Remember that it is a training issue and you will need to have more than casual input. It will take some of your time but the more involved you get, the shorter that span will be... <More>

Q. I want to do some basic obedience training with my pet. How can I start?

A. Before we actually start puppy training or even thinking about it, it is important that we get ourselves in the right frame of mind. If we do this and know where we are going, we will be much less likely to violate certain training rules that may hinder or prevent us from attaining our goals. Additionally, we want to prevent ourselves from doing anything that may adversely affect the relationship we hope to develop with our puppy... <More>

Q. What causes fear of storms and other noises?

A. It is unknown why some pets become afraid of noises; it is a common problem in dogs, but less so in cats. The fear can soon become a phobia, which is defined as A persistent, excessive, and irrational fear response. In the case of thunderstorms, pets may also be fearful of storm-associated events such as a change in barometric pressure, lightning, electrostatic disturbances, and even smells associated with the storms. Noise phobias can include fear of thunderstorms, firecrackers, gunshots, and even the sound of birds... <More>

Q. My dogs barks a lot! What can be done about it?

A. Dogs bark. It is part of their normal and natural communication and behavior. Dogs can bark for appropriate and good reasons, such as when strangers approach our house, they hear an odd noise, or they are herding sheep. Most of us want our dogs to be "watch dogs" and alert us to anything unusual. But dogs can also bark inappropriately. In two scientific surveys of dog owners, approximately 1/3 of them reported their dogs barked excessively. To control barking in our dogs, we first need to understand why they are barking... <More>

Q. My puppy chews things he shouldn't. How can I stop it?

A. Puppies chew on whatever they can get their mouths on for any number of reasons: they are bored, they have a lot of energy, they are teething, or they are just curious. Dogs learn through their mouths. It is their tool; it is how they receive a great deal of information. They are naturally inclined to use their mouths whenever they can... <More>

Q. What are the causes and cures of stool eating?
 

A.  Coprophagy (pronounced kä - präf’ - je) comes from the Greek copro which means feces and phagy which means eat. And that is what it is – eating feces. A habit of dogs we all find disgusting, but as we say, dogs will be dogs. Some dogs especially like feces from herbivores like rabbits, deer, and horses. Others love to raid the cat's litter box. Still others only eat dog feces if it is frozen... <More>